I've decided, school is evil.

Chapter Seven: The Aftermath

The atmosphere between Katie and Draco the next day was noticeable. Although they were at different tables during Potions, they kept sneaking glances at each other. Nicole, Emilie, and Lauren tried in vain to get Katie to tell them what happened.

"Nothing happened!" Katie sighed for the sixth time that hour.

"You're a horrible liar," Nicole said.

"Well, you're a horrible lie-detector. I'm not lying,"

"Well, you're keeping something from us," Emilie replied.

"It's nothing important," Katie insisted.

"If it's got you upset, it's important!" Lauren said.

Katie finally gave in and wrote on a piece of parchment.

"No way!" Emilie cried, reading it first.

"What? What does it say? Nuh uh!" Lauren shouted when it was passed to her.

"Let me see," Nicole took the paper. "Oh no he did not!"

"What is going on over there?" Snape asked from his desk.

Nicole quickly came up with an excuse.

"We're talking about how Charles makes stuff up in Divination and gets a really good grade for it," she lied

"Thanks for revealing my secret, Nicole," Charles snapped.

"Anytime, Charles, anytime."

______

At lunch, the girls pounced on Katie again.

"Tell us everything!" Rachel insisted. She had taken Jon's place in Hufflepuff. He has been called home for a family emergency.

"Don't leave anything out," Nicole added.

"No! I don't wanna!" Katie pouted.

"You better tell us!" Emilie insisted. "Do it!"

"Do it!" Nicole added.

Katie sighted and told tem what happened in detention and the walk back to the dorms.

"And then he kissed you?" Emilie asked. "Just like that?"

Katie nodded. The other girls thought for a while.

"So . . . was he good?" Nicole asked, wiggling her eyebrows up and down.

"What kind of question is that?" Katie blushed.

"A valid one,"

"Well, I'm not telling you,"

"So he is,"

"I never said that!"

"You didn't have to,"

Katie groaned and flopped back on the grass.

______

The Slytherin common room was unusually empty. The only people still up were Emilie, Charles, and Draco. Emilie was in an armchair, reading Twilight for the twelfth time, Carles was doing homework, and draco was on the couch, staring at the fire. The minuets ticked by in silence. Draco was the one to break it.

"Hey Heckenkamp," he said.

"Really, really, really, really?" Emilie asked, using different inflections each time she said the word. "What are you, my fifth grade basketball coach? Really?"

"Sorry Emilie," Draco said, surprised.

"That's better,"

"So . . .um . . .you're friends with Katie, right?"

"Yea,"

"Does she have a boyfriend?"

"What?"

"Is she dating someone?"

"No, why?"

"No reason,"

"Oh no. Nuh uh," Emilie closed her book with a snap.

Draco and Charles both jumped.

"You do not ask if my friend's got a boyfriend for no reason," she continued. She put her book on the arm of the chair and walked over to stand directly over Draco.

"I was just wondering," he insisted, slightly intimidated.

"If you want to date her, you go for it. Just don't go sticking your tongue down her throat. You do not have my permission. Or Nicole's. Or Rachel's. Or Lauren's."

"Um . . .o . . .k . . ." Draco stammered.

"Don't do it," Charles piped up. "She's crazy as hell."

"Shut up, Charles," Emilie and Draco snapped.